Atlas missile 27E launches at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. View of Atlas 27E ready to launch. Large explosion on the ground soon after its launch. Fire and black smoke rises from the explosion. (Note: This was the ninth E-series Atlas launched and the first from the West Coast. The missile suffered combustion instability in one booster engine, the resultant asymmetrical thrust causing it to tip over and explode on impact with the silo wall. OSTF-1 suffered extensive damage and did not host another launch for nine months.)